• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.112-116
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• 2022

Background/Aims: The Gachon Regional Occupational Cohort Study (GROCS) is a large-scale longitudinal study of occupational safety and health data (covering Work Environment Monitoring, Workers' Health Surveillance, and Occupational Health Service) conducted by the Gachon University Gil Medical Center (GUGMC) in Incheon, Republic of Korea. We conducted GROCS to identify the health effects of workers' occupational risks, behavior, socioeconomic status, and life style. Methods: The GROCS includes data from Work Environment Monitoring, Workers' Health Surveillance, and Occupational Health Service. The baseline year for all data collection was 2018. Work Environment Monitoring was conducted in 240 companies located in Incheon. General Health Examination and Special Health Examination were performed on 32,725 and 9,504 workers, respectively. Occupational Health Services were provided to 16,883 workers in 171 companies. These data have been collected and operated at an external data management institution and were provided as a retrospective cohort after removing personal identification information. Results: In 2018, the total number of companies was 2,854, among which which 488 special Health Examination, 171 Work Environment Monitoring, and 240 Occupational Health Service. The proportion of companies undergoing Special Health Examination was 17.1%, the proportion of companies undergoing Work Environment Monitoring was 8.4%, and the proportion of Companies undergoing Occupational Health Service was 6.0%. Conclusion: GROCS expects researchers to utilize its useful and reliable resource for occupational health and surveillance with for academic or political purposes to lead to improved workers' health and working environment.

• 한국의료질향상학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.153-164
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• 2024

The second National Patient Safety Comprehensive Plan was developed in 2023. In this, national-level patient safety education is designated as the fifth core task, with the establishment of an educational system for preliminary healthcare professionals included as a detailed task. The foundation for providing patient safety education to preliminary healthcare professionals has now been established. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) published standard guidelines for patient safety education for healthcare professionals. This study introduces the WHO's 'Patient Safety Curriculum Guide: Multi-professional Edition' and shares the experiences and cases of patient safety education conducted for nursing students-that is, future nurses-according to these guidelines. The patient safety and nursing course was designed as an elective in the second semester of the third year. Before the class was conducted, only 6.9% of the students were familiar with the concept of patient safety. Of the 11 WHO topics, this course covers nine (excluding infection control and medicine safety) and is divided into seven modules. Three modules consist of lectures only, whereas the remaining modules involve practical training. To practice patient safety, it is essential for all healthcare professionals to acquire knowledge regarding patient safety during their undergraduate curriculum. This study aimed to provide foundational information regarding patient safety education for nursing and other healthcare students who have not yet undergone patient safety training.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.127-134
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• 2022

In order to overcome the image quality limitations of the conventional C-arm, a flat panel detector (FPD) is used to enhance spatial resolution, detective quantum efficiency, frame rate, and dynamic range. Three-dimensional (3D) visualized information can be obtained from C-arm computed tomography (CT) equipped with an FPD, which can reduce patient discomfort and provide various medical information to health care providers by conducting procedures in the interventional procedure room without moving the patient to the CT scan room. Unlike a conventional C-arm device, a C-arm CT requires different basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria; therefore, in this study, basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria to protect patients, medical staff, and radiologists were derived based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) standards in Korea, and the rules on the installation and operation of special medical equipment in Korea. As a result of the study, six basic safety evaluation criteria related to electrical and mechanical radiation safety (leakage current, collision protection, emergency stopping device, overheating, recovery management, and ingress of water or particulate matter into medical electrical (ME) equipment and ME systems: footswitches) and 14 essential performance evaluation criteria (accuracy of tube voltage, accuracy of tube current, accuracy of loading time, accuracy of current time product, reproducibility of radiation output, linearity and consistency in radiography, half layer value in X-ray equipment, focal size and collimator, relationship between X-ray field and image reception area, consistency of light irradiation versus X-ray irradiation, performance of the mechanical device, focal spot to skin distance accuracy, image quality evaluation, and technical characteristic of cone-beam computed tomography) were selected for a total of 20 criteria.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.470-479
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• 2020

Objectives: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the death of 740,000 people around the world as of August 12, 2020. Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza, and African Swine Fever are serious livestock diseases. Government agencies in Korea have provided ingredient information and usage instructions for disinfectants used to counter those infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the chemical ingredients in disinfectant products used against COVID-19 and certain livestock diseases. Methods: We collected information from the Korean government. The Central Disaster Management Headquarters and Central Disease Control Headquarters provided information on disinfectant products used against COVID-19. The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of Korea provided information on efficacy-certified disinfectant products for use against selected livestock diseases. Health hazard and environmental hazard information on the ingredients in the disinfectants was collected from the Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency's Material Safety Data Sheets, and toxicity value information was collected from United States Environmental Protection Agency's CompTox Chemicals Dashboard. Results: There were 76 COVID-19 disinfectant products in use, and the most common ingredients were benzalkonium chloride (51%), alkylbenzyl dimethyl ammonium (30%), and ethanol (3%). There were 216 livestock disease disinfectant products comprised of 89 acidic, 88 oxidic, 30 aldehydic, three alkaline, and six other products. Among the 49 active ingredients used in the disinfectants that were investigated, health and environmental hazard information was provided for many of them, but only 20 chemicals had official toxicological information. Conclusion: Since the disinfectants included numerous chemicals, an understanding of their chemical characteristics could be critical to prevent unintended human or environmental exposure.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.293-300
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• 2016

Objectives: This study is designed to survey the current status of trade secrets in GHS MSDS circulated in workplaces and indicate problems in the chemical information system. According to the survey results, we suggest management plans including political improvement of the trade secret system for MSDS and technical support to workplaces following enhanced chemical communication. Methods: To review this subject, we selected 153 manufacturers and six importers working in such fields as organic chemical production. We then investigated the retention status of GHS MSDS, application of trade secrets, and the content of trade secret components in MSDSs for mixtures. Results and Conclusions: Within the results, the content of trade secret ingredients was 67.4% (single: 9.0%, mixture: 75.6%). This is an increase compared with the previous results of 45.5% in 2011. Among 59,393 GHS MSDSs, 74.5% had ingredients less than 10% trade secret components, 19.1% had 10-30%, 1.8% had 30-50%, and 4.6% had more than 50%. To settle this issue, we recommend registration or evaluation of trade secrets as implemented in advanced countries. Also, business should be required to undergo regular evaluations of application status for trade secrets in workplace GHS MSDS.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.346-350
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• 2021

Background: The high sensitivity of individuals toward safety information in production activities, that is, attentional bias toward safety (ABS), can positively predict safe behaviors. It has become a hot topic in current organizational safety behavior research. However, there is no literature on its modification method. Methods: Based on the modified dot-probe task, we designed a modification training method of ABS. The training method required subjects to respond to the location of detection points that presented after safety stimulus and neutral stimulus pictures. Subjects' attentional bias values of safety and neutral pictures were measured during the experiment. Twenty-one students were selected and divided into a control group and training group to gain comparable results. Results: A novel training method was developed in this study to promote the efficacy of safety stimulus by activating ABS of the subjects. Moreover, repeated trainings and preacquired relative knowledge can enhance this effect. Conclusion: This study develops an experimental approach to evaluate the effectiveness of safety education and safety training, and also provides a new research idea for accident prevention.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.165-171
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• 2017

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer used in a polymerization reaction in the production of polycarbonate plastics. It has been used in many consumer products, including plastics, polyvinyl chloride, food packaging, dental sealants, and thermal receipts. However, there is little information available on the inhalation toxicity of BPA. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine its inhalation toxicity and effects on the estrous cycle, spatial learning, and memory. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 0, 10, 30, and $90mg/m^3$ BPA, 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks via whole-body inhalation. Mortality, clinical signs, body weight, hematology, serum chemistry, estrous cycle parameters, performance in the Morris water maze test, and organ weights, as well as gross and histopathological findings, were compared between the control and BPA exposure groups. Statistically significant changes were observed in serum chemistry and organ weights upon exposure to BPA. However, there was no BPA-related toxic effect on the body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum chemistry, organ weights, estrous cycle, performance in the Morris water maze test, or gross or histopathological lesions in any male or female rats in the BPA exposure groups. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested that the no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) for BPA in rats is above $90mg/m^3$/6 hr/day, 5 days/week upon 8-week exposure. Furthermore, BPA did not affect the estrous cycle, spatial learning, or memory in rats.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.245-250
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• 2016

3-Methylpentane ($C_6H_{14}$, CAS No. 96-14-0), isomer of hexane, is a colorless liquid originating naturally from petroleum or natural gas liquids. 3-Methylpentane has been used as a solvent in organic synthesis, as a lubricant, and as a raw material for producing carbon black. There is limited information available on the inhalation toxicity of 3-methylpentane, and the aim of this study was to determine its subacute inhalation toxicity. According to OECD Test Guideline 412 (subacute inhalation toxicity: 28-day study), Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to 0, 284, 1,135, and 4,540 ppm of 3-methylpentane for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks via whole-body inhalation. Mortality, clinical signs, body weights, food consumption, hematology, serum chemistry, organ weights, and gross and histopathological findings were compared between control and all exposure groups. No mortality or remarkable clinical signs were observed during the study. No gross or histopathological lesions, or adverse effects on body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum chemistry, and organ weights were observed in any male or female rats in all exposure groups, although some statistically significant changes were observed in food consumption, serum chemistry, and organ weights. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) for 3-methylpentane above 4,540 ppm/6 hr/day, 5 days/week for rats.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.302-307
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• 2022

Background: In Brazil, asbestos was intensively used from the 1960s until its ban in 2017. Mesothelioma, asbestosis, and pleural plaques are typical asbestos-related diseases (ARD-T). To create an ARD-T national database, death records from 1996-2017 were retrieved from several health information systems (HIS). Methods: All national HIS containing coded diagnoses (ICD-10) and death information were obtained. Linkage was performed to create a single database of ARD-T death records, either as underlying or contributory causes, in adults aged 30 years and older. Results: A total of 3,057 ARD-T death records were found, 2,405 (76.4%) of which being malignant mesotheliomas (MM). Pleural MM (n = 1,006; 41.8%) and unspecified MM (n = 792; 32.9%) prevailed. Male to female MM ratio (M:F) was 1.4:1, and higher ratios were found for non-malignant ARD-T: 3.5:1 for asbestosis and 2.4:1 for pleural plaques. Male crude annual mesothelioma mortality (CM_mm ×1,000,000) was 0.98 in 1996 and 2.26 in 2017, a 131.1% increment, while for females it was 1.04 and 1.25, a 20.2% increase, correspondingly. The small number of deaths with asbestosis and pleural plaques records precluded conclusive interpretations. Conclusions: Even with the linkage of several HIS, ARD-T in death records remained in low numbers. MM mortality in men was higher and showed a rapid increase and, along with non-malignant ARD-T, higher M:F ratios suggested a predominant pattern of work-related exposure. The monitoring of workplace and environmental asbestos exposure needs to be improved, as well as the workers surveillance, following the recent Brazilian ban.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.29-35
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• 2011

Safety and health related information for the proper use and handling of pesticides is usually printed on the surface of the pesticide products (bottle type or bag type) in the form of texts. But, the guidelines or standards for the appropriate presentation of the texts for the pesticide products are most vague or not practical. Thus, this study aimed to provide the preliminary guidelines for the text sizes based on the legibility experiments. Total twenty subjects from two age groups (young: n=10, old: n=10, five males and five females in each group) participated in the experiment. First, subjects read the text cards presented in the distance of 50cm from the eyes of the subjects. Eight different text card sets were prepared for different font type(thick gothic-type and fine gothic-type), thickness of font(plain and bold), and number of syllables (2 and 3 syllables). When subjects read the cards, the correctness of reading (correct or wrong) was recorded and the degree of discomfort (from 1: no discomfort at all to 4: can't read at all) was also evaluated for all the text sizes. Results showed that the character size should be 4 pt or larger for the young subjects to read at least one word correctly in all the text conditions. For the old subjects to read at least one word correctly, the character size should be five pt or larder. The average of the minimum character sizes for 100% correct answer is 6.1 pt for young subjects and 10.5 pt for old subjects, respectively.